Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera yesterday said the daily two-hour and 30-minute power cut will continue till the Norochcholai power plant is fully functional.

He said the power cut durations will not be reduced until the Norochcholai power plant is connected back to the national grid.

The Minister also said that a total of $ 34 million has been paid for a consignment of furnace oil on Tuesday.

Minister Wijesekara said the consignment was unloaded yesterday and will be used for power generation and industries.

One of the three generators of the Norochcholai power plant was disconnected from the national grid last week (17 June) for essential maintenance purposes. It will mean that the unit will be out of operation for at least 75-days.

As a result, the electricity supplied by the coal power plant to the national grid is expected to drop from 45% to 30%.

It is reported that the power generation activities at hydro and thermal power plants will therefore have to be increased to meet the demand under the situation.

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